A hybrid vehicle is known provided with two types of power sources, i.e., an electric motor and an engine, an electric generator to generate electricity primarily by the output of the engine and a power splitting mechanism to separate the engine output into a driving force to driving wheels of the vehicle and driving force for generation of electricity (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2007-55291, for example).
In this conventional hybrid vehicle, during running or travel of the vehicle using only the motor, when there is a request for starting the engine, the engine will be started by transmitting driving force from the driving wheels of the vehicle to the engine through the power splitting device to thereby start the engine so that the vehicle travels by the driving forces from both the engine and the motor at high load operation.